Duryn: The Triton
by Shads the Shads
Summary: Through many tragic incidents, a young man named Duryn must cope along and find his happiness. Enjoy as Duryn goes through many adventures in attempt to find his inner peace and the true meaning of happiness.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: All Credit goes to the creator of Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima. Well of course, except for my OC.**

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 **A/N: I've decided to revive my story! I hope you all enjoy!**

 **THANKS TO ARTEMSOLIS for giving me inspiration to write stories once again. Check out his story!**

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 **Dialogue Guide:**

"Duryn" - Normal Speech

 _"Thought"_ \- Thinking/Thoughts

 **"Aquos"** \- Beast/Humans yelling

 **BOOM! -** Sound Effects

* * *

 **~ Unknown Town ~**

 **~ x768 ~**

* * *

 **Duryn** woke to the sound of thunder hitting far too close for his liking. He sat up on the cold concrete ground that he never found himself comfortable in and looked at the world around him. Lightning flashed through the sky once again as the boy covered himself up in some newspaper to keep himself warm.

There was a thunderstorm approaching and any sane person would have taken shelter to avoid the rain and lightning. However, for the boy, he had no shelter. For quite a little bit of time, he had been homeless after a tragic incident back at his hometown, killing everyone except for him.

Duryn looked up to the sky and sighed, thinking about how much he missed his mother. His father was always away on missions so he never really knew who his father was. He wasn't even there at the town during the incident.

"Hey! Homeless kid!" A young voice shouted, as Duryn groaned from the familiar voice. The other boy wore black trousers, light blue dress shirt accompanied with a black butterfly tie. He was the well known rich, spoiled brat. Well, according to Duryn, he was. The boy would come daily while his parents shopped at the nearby shops and bullied Duryn by stealing his money.

"Go away." Duryn groaned, rolling his eyes.

"Let's see how much you made today." The boy laughed, grabbing onto Duryn's cup and looked inside. There was nothing. "HA! You're just as poor as you were yesterday!" He cackled.

Duryn sighed and stood up, snatching the cup away from the other boy's hand. "Listen up Ricky, if you bother me one more time... You see this fist?" He said raising his fist "I'm going to beat you up."

"Try me bitch." Ricky laughed, whilst he spat on Duryn's face "You're just a sore loser because you don't have anything nor parents."

 **BAM!**

Enraged, Duryn had snapped at those words, and his fist instinctively delivered a sharp blow to Ricky's jaw. "YOU TAKE THAT BACK!" Duryn screamed, grabbing onto Ricky's collar.

 **CRACK!**

Duryn fell on the ground, screaming in pain as a whip had struck him in the face.

"Looks like you haven't learned your lesson yet." A well-built, muscular man said. He was looming over Duryn's body, whip in his hand. To Duryn, this scene was familiar. The man, who was Ricky's personal bodyguard, would give Duryn a good beating whenever Duryn came in contact with Ricky. He struggled with all his might, as the man began to whip Duryn's body and bruised him badly. Duryn kept attempting to block the whip with his forearms, but that just pained him more. There was no way that Duryn was going to overpower this man. However, his leg managed to kick the man's groin, and the man let out a grunt of pain.

"You fucker! You did it now!" The man yelled before his hands clasped around Duryn's thin neck.

Duryn's eyes widened as the man had gotten over the edge. He started to gasp as the airflow was cut off from his lungs. Slowly, his vision began to black out but he noticed Ricky laughing in the background, and strangers with their phones out, recording the scene but doing nothing to help.

Oh how he hated everyone so much.

Eventually, the police broke the man off Duryn and they were able to get away, with no charges. The police were just as corrupt and evil as everyone else.

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~ **Few Hours Later** ~

* * *

Duryn silently wept in the dark alleyway, wanting no disturbance. He sniffed, wiping tears off his eyes with his bruised forearm. He then looked at his own reflection of himself on the small pool of water nearby. His face was badly bruised, and full of small cuts all over it.

Duryn sighed and looked at the dark clouds, wishing badly to see his mother just one more time. He was just a little lamb lost and scared in the dark, scary world that awaited him. Sometimes... he just wished death so he didn't have to suffer anymore. If it wasn't for that attack by the dark guild at his village, he would have been with the things that he cherished the most.

He was so angry at himself for letting that happen and closed his eyes, burying his face into his knees.

 _I could sense the anger within you…_ A voice echoed in the boy's head. Duryn looked frantically around, confused at the sudden voice. There was no one out on the streets so it was impossible that someone was trying to communicate with him.

"W-Who are you? And W-Why are you in my head?" The boy quietly asked.

 _Come meet me at the southern forest._ After that, the voice disappeared as the boy gulped. Did he really have to go to this forest? His instincts were screaming at him that something was definitely strange and that he definitely should remain where he was. However, the young boy gulped and slowly stood up, heading to the southern forest, going against his instincts. He had nothing else to lose.

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 **~ Brown Forest ~**

* * *

As Duryn nearly approached the forest, his heart began to pound in worry. _It's not too late to turn around…_ The boy thought but quickly shook his head. Slowly, the boy entered the forest and looked around. The forest seemed eerie and as if something was going to jump out anytime.

Lightning flashed in the cloudy night sky once again, as the boy shivered. "H-Hello, Mr. Voice… I'm here." Duryn quietly said.

Duryn was met with a silent response.

"Hello?" The boy said once again, this time a little bit louder.

This time, a response came back with the sound of the trees rustling. A group of bandits appeared in front of Duryn.

"Who the hell are you kid?" One of the bandits questioned.

"I-I'm Duryn… I heard a voice, telling me to come to this forest…" Duryn gulped. Maybe he should have just followed his instincts and stayed where he was.

"Are you a lunatic or what?" Another bandit questioned as the other bandits laughed.

"Well we're going to have to kill you now. This is our hideout spot, and no one can know where we are." Another bandit said, holding a wooden bat.

Duryn sighed, and shook his head, gripping his fists. Maybe this was the end for him and he would see his mother that he loved so much. _No._ He shook his head frantically. His mother wouldn't want that.

"Oh yeah? Bring it." Duryn said, with a small smirk on his face. He was never the one to give up and he would die trying for it.

The bandit with the bat smirked and charged towards Duryn, swinging the bat as hard as he can while the others cheered him on.

 _ **WHAM!**_

 _ **THUD.**_

Duryn fell down to the ground, badly bruised up as the group of bandits laughed. It definitely hurt as he teared up. _Why am I so weak?_ Duryn thought to himself, groaning in pain.

"Hey kid, maybe next time you better watch your goddamn words." The bandit said as he stepped on Duryn's hand, smirking cockily.

Duryn groaned in pain. He stared at the bandit and spat on his face "I'll see you in hell you good for nothing bandit!" He said while smiling.

The bandit laughed and started swinging his bat downwards as he gave Duryn more bruises.

 _ **ROARRRRR!**_

Just as the bandit was about to bring the final blow, a tremendous roar was heard, deafening everyone to the world around them.

" **BACK OFF THE CHILD NOW!"**

A great voice echoed in the forest, resounding deep into the bandits' souls. Each syllable was slow yet it echoed like the thunder. Soon the misty fog disappeared, clearing everyone's vision. All the bandits realized they were on their rear ends, while Duryn laid flat on the ground.

Duryn coughed as he reopened his eyes and slowly regained his vision. He saw, there, in the middle of the towering trees, a beast of the legends. It's emerald eyes shining like the stars in the night. It's teal scales glowed it's underside continuously shone a silver color. It's claw and talon were aquatic blue, promising a swift and deadly attack on its foe. The dragon's huge bat-like wings were spread out, making the beast seem bigger than it already was. Golden's spikes grew along the spine, the tail and forelimb. It also had a triangular head, with a snout that held rows of sharp teeth and two teal horns sprouting out of it's head.

It was a dragon.

A real, living, breathing water dragon.

And it looked at the group of bandits with fury in it's eyes.

" **HOW EMBARRASSING!"** The dragon growled and roared at them, and raised it's massive claw as it seemed like it was about to give the bandits their final verdict. However, the legendary beast paused as it looked down to Duryn who was standing up, protecting the group of bandits.

It blinked. Once. Twice. Then it raised it's head down, sniffing the child.

The dragon paused, deep in thought. It stared at the group of bandits and then back at the child, and back and forth between them.

" **You… wish to protect them?"** The dragon spoke, in human tongue. **"Even through what they did to you?"** The dragon asked, genuinely curious.

Duryn slowly nodded, frowning.

" **... I See."** The dragon said, closing it's eyes. It reopened them back up and stared at the group of bandits **"DISAPPEAR NOW!"** It growled in anger as the group ran away, fearing for their life.

The dragon sighed, looking down at Duryn. **"Why did you wish to save them?"** It questioned.

"I-I didn't want to see more suffering…" Duryn replied, holding his arm in pain.

The dragon smiled a little and just nodded it's head **"Admirable… Very admirable. Tell me boy, what is your name?"**

"D-Duryn…"

" **I see… Well, Duryn… I can smell the traces of magic around you. You have a very high affinity to my element. I wish to train you."**

"W-What?" Duryn's eyes widened. Out of all the things possible in this world, a legendary creature wished to train him? This time, his instincts were telling him to take the offer so he can protect the things that he will love in the future.

Duryn gulped and nodded slowly "I'll take your offer…"

" **Good. I wasn't going to take a no for answer."** The dragon nodded in approval **"Follow me."** It said as it began heading to the other direction. However, the dragon did not hear the boy's footsteps and raised it's eyebrow, turning around.

"I… I can't move…" Duryn said, looking down.

The dragon sighed and chuckled, lifting the boy up with it's claw, careful to not harm the boy. **"We'll have fun. Do not worry."**

* * *

 **~ Brown Forest ~**

 **~ x770 ~**

"Hey Aquos." Duryn spoke, crossing his arms, while looking up at the dragon.

 **"Hmm?"** Aquos tiredly responded, with it's eyes still closed.

Duryn sighed, lightly tapping his feet on the ground "Come on... You said you were going to teach me about water magic today! It's already 2 P.M.! Get up you lazy dragon!"

 **"Mm..."** Aquos groaned, slowly getting up and spreading it's wings **"Yes... I did tell you that. And we never..."**

"Go back on our words." Duryn finished the sentence for him, grinning at Aquos.

 **"Haha..."** Aquos chuckled softly and began to walk out of the cavern, Duryn closely following behind. Soon, Duryn got on Aquos's back as the dragon began to soar to their favorite location. The emerald lake in the middle of the forest. There, Aquos was able to find peace and quietness from the commotions of the outside world.

 **"Now... The key to water magic is simple. All you have to is fully understand the element of water and the many capabilities of it."** Aquos humbly said, taking a sip of water from the emerald lake.

"Huh?" Duryn raised an eyebrow "What in the heck are you talking about?"

The dragon ignored, focusing instead on the emerald lake. **"There is nothing softer and weaker than water. And yet there is nothing better for attacking hard and strong things. For this reason, Duryn, there is no substitute for water."**

Duryn blinked, and sighed. _"Here we go again with the motivational speeches..."_ Duryn thought while rolling his eyes "Okay... And how is that going to help me use water magic though?"

 **"You already know how to use it, my boy. It is up to you and you only to figure out how to utilize water for various purposes."** Aquos said, looking at Duryn while it picked up a boulder and hurled it towards Duryn as fast as it can.

"Water Dragon's Torpedo Fist!" Duryn yelled as water formed around his fist and swung his fist at the boulder, easily breaking it.

 ** _"_ No. No Dragon Slayer Magic at this time. You shall only use Water Magic for the time being." **Aquos said, picking up another boulder while Duryn looked confused.

"What? I don't even know Water Magic yet..." Duryn said quietly, biting his lip. This was going to be hard and definitely was not going to be a pleasurable experience.

Soon, Aquos hurled the boulder towards Duryn while Duryn gulped, shaking his head. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't use his dragon slayer magic and he had no idea how Water Magic worked. Duryn closed his eyes, hoping that something would happen. However, with no avail, the boulder hit Duryn in the face as he fell backwards, groaning in pain "Ow..."

Aquos couldn't help but laugh " **Focus!"** It said in the middle of it's laughter as Duryn slowly got up, dizzy but laughing along with Aquos.

"Let's try that again..." Duryn groggily said, trying to regain his focus. He was attempting to turn his body into water so that the boulder could pass through it. But he couldn't. He didn't know what the problem was.

Aquos nodded, and hurled another boulder towards Duryn. Duryn closed his eyes once again, in attempt to focus, but with no avail once again, the boulder hit off his face and grunted in pain as he stumbled backwards.

Duryn mumbled "Damn it... Let's do that again!" Soon, Aquos hurled another boulder, and with no difference, Duryn fell down getting struck by the boulder once again.

After many failed attempts, Aquos sighed **"Let's go back... I am tired for the day."** It said, yawning.

"One last time... One more time Aquos!" Duryn got up to his feet, wiping blood off his mouth. He was never going to give up till he figured it out. That's just the way he was. He was never going to give in till he could prove to Aquos that he was capable of learning water magic.

Aquos sighed, shaking his head and looked at the boy in worry. However, it saw in Duryn's eyes the passion to learn and to prove himself worth. " **...Fine."** Aquos said, with a light smile, while picking up a boulder. In shorter than a second, Aquos once more hurled the stone towards Duryn **"HERE IT COMES!"**

Duryn closed his eyes, and gathered his breath. He slowly thought _"Water... Water is the element that is weaker than nothing but also when it comes to strength... there is nothing stronger than it. That is why... Water is never replaceable."_ Duryn reopened his eyes as he saw that the boulder was about a centimeter away and this time, smiled instead of panicking. Suddenly, the boulder passed through Duryn's body without harming him.

Duryn laughed "Aquos! I did it!" He cheered out "I turned my body into water so that the boulder couldn't damage me!"

Aquos nodded in approval and chuckled along **"Great work. I knew you could do it."**

Duryn then looked down at his stomach grumbled louder than an engine of a race car. He blinked and looked up at Aquos, and couldn't help but break out in laughter.

Aquos rolled it's eyes and laughed along **"Let us head back and have a feast for the celebration of you being able to use water magic now. However, do not be too happy about it. You have learned the very basics of it and more training of water manipulation awaits you."**

"I know." Duryn chuckled and put his hands together on the back of his head "And it's going to be fun!"

" **...Yes. It certainly will be."**

With that, the two laughed and began heading back to their shelter, ready to rest for the day. Another day of training awaited Duryn.

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~ **Brown Forest ~**

 **~ July 31, x776 ~**

The day started off as peaceful than ever, as Duryn sat on the edge of the cave, glamouring the beauty of the forest and the skies.

 **"You're awake."** Aquos said behind Duryn as Duryn nodded, smiling at Aquos. With no verbal exchange, Duryn greeted the mighty dragon by nodding his head. After the exchange, Duryn looked back into the forest and sighed.

 **"Is there something wrong?"** Aquos questioned

"No." Duryn said, with a light chuckle, then shook his head "It's just that I kinda miss the outside world. I never really took a foot outside of this forest since 9 years ago."

 **"What do you miss about it?"**

"I don't know really. Ricky... the people... I just want to show them how different I became."

 **"Who is Ricky?"**

"He was just this one annoying kid that bothered me when I was a child. I never really thought I would say with my own mouth that I miss that annoying guy." Duryn said chuckling "However, he was the only person that ever interacted with me... Although he wouldn't say that himself... I can say that he was my friend."

 **"...I see. Oh Duryn... Before I forget I have something to give you."** Aquos said as it turned back to the cave and came back out with a what seemed like a katana in it's claw.

 **"Happy Birthday, my boy."** Aquos said and dropped the katana in front of Duryn's feet. The katana's handle looked like the scales of Aquos and the socket was black. Additionally, the blade was as sharp as Aquos's claw.

Duryn felt his heart throb. He never received a present before and the fact that Aquos didn't forget about his birthday, just made him want to break down and cry like a little child. "T-Thanks..." Duryn sniffed.

Aquos shook it's head and chuckled " **Listen Duryn, I know that at times I'm very cold towards you but that does not change the fact that I love you very much. Do not say thanks, I am disappointed in myself that I was able to only get you one present during the eight years we have spent together. You see I've always wanted a human foster son. And luckily, you came along in my life. "**

Duryn sniffed, and wiped his eyes off with his forearms "Yeah. You're like the worst foster father ever, you know." He said jokingly as the two laughed.

"Hey Aquos. Can you promise me something?"

 **"Hmm?"**

"Don't go disappearing on me okay? I mean... don't just leave me behind in this cruel world like everyone else did."

 **"Haha... I shall try my best, Duryn."**

"Thanks."

With that, the two smiled at each other and hopped down from the cavern. Another day of training awaited them, and just because it was Duryn's birthday didn't mean that it was a day off. Each day was an opportunity to get stronger and better yourself.

* * *

 **~ Year x777 ~**

Duryn woke to the sound of an explosion. He sat up in the middle of a cavern that he called home for a few years and looked around. Aquos was missing. He sighed, his instincts screaming at him that something was wrong and that he had to get up and check outside to see if everything was alright.

With his heart pounding in worry, he got up on his feet and quickly exited the cave. Once he stepped outside, he looked at the world around him.

"Aquos? Where are you?" Duryn said.

Silence replied him.

"Aquos! This isn't funny! Show yourself!" Duryn yelled.

Still, the dragon did not answer him.

"Damn it…" Duryn said, jumping down from the cave and landing on the floor. He shook his head as he felt his heart beat against his chest. He knew that there was definitely something wrong because Aquos would never have left without giving him a notice.

Duryn sighed once more. He had no other choice but to go look for the beast himself. He still felt Aquos's presence in the forests so Duryn knew that Aquos wasn't too far away.

Duryn began to walk along the forest. He was heading to the emerald lake that laid in the middle of the forest, where him and Aquos trained. Before he could turn the last corner to the lake, he heard a painful groan, and at that moment he knew something terrible was happening. He gulped and wasted no time and rushed into the location.

There it laid Aquos, who was slowly breathing in and out. It had bruises, cuts, and wounds all over it's body. It looked like it was ready to die any second.

"No… Please… No. Not like this! A-Aquos! What happened?! " Duryn quickly rushed to Aquos's side, tears spilling from his eyes. "T-Tell me! W-Who did this?! Why would they do this to you?!"

" **You're here…"** Aquos slowly spoke, opening it's eyes. It smiled a little, shaking it's gigantic head **"It seems… my time is almost here."**

Duryn shook his head, his hands emitting a blue aura, in attempt to heal Aquos. "Don't talk like you're dying damn it! Tell me please! What happened?! W-Who did this to you?! A-And why?!"

Aquos gently pushed off Duryn with it's claw **"It's no use. You do not need to know... I've already lost too much blood."** It said as it's breath got steeper and slower.

Duryn growled, anger and desperation fueling his actions. " **TELL ME AQUOS! WHY AND WHO?!"**

 **"..."** Aquos sighed, and closed it's eyes " **A giant colossus invaded the forest and I had to stop it."**

"As if I could believe that!" Duryn yelled "Don't lie to me Aquos! Tell me the truth!" He said as he desperately tried all sorts of method to heal the dragon. "Y-You can't die on me!"

 **"You're too young still. Duryn... You must learn that not everything will live forever. So... it appears that my time is nearby finished. Telling you who did this to me will do nothing other than bring more harm to you. I do not wish that."** Aquos slowly said.

Duryn snapped at those words, as his hands instinctively started hitting the ground "YOU IDIOT!" He screamed, anger fueling his actions "You… You said You were never leave my side! How could you even think of doing something stupid as this?! To your own son?!" As he said those words, he covered his eyes with his hands to prevent the tears.

Aquos chuckled a little **"I understand your anger… Are you ready for your final lesson?"** It said, closing it's eyes.

Duryn silently wept while he nodded his head slowly.

" **Listen closely… This magic will enable to go beyond your limits… However, it will greatly harm your body and you will never recover the way you were. You MUST never use this magic unless it is to protect the things you cherish the most. Do you… Understand?"** Aquos slowly said.

Duryn's eyes widened "H-How… How Do I activate it?"

Aquos lightly laughed **"That is up to you to figure out… It will come along. Do not overthink it, my boy."**

Aquos then sighed, reopening it's eyes " **Duryn… I have one last thing to tell you."**

Duryn closed his eyes shut, looking down at the ground and tried not to cry with all his might.

" **Do not be angry at yourself for this incident. I do not have any regrets. If I hadn't met you, my life would have had no meaning. I'm glad that I was able to met you and be friends and was able to call you my son. Now… Listen extra closely…"**

Duryn clenched his fists and looked up from the ground, meeting Aquos in the eyes.

" **When I first met you… You weren't different from everyone else. There wasn't anything special about you. Anyone is capable of being a mage… However, I had realized that you had an extraordinary aura from everyone else. I'm sorry that I couldn't leave you anything else except for everything I have taught you. There are no riches waiting for you… There are no secrets I'm keeping from you. You are you and nothing more than a compassionate, and a courageous young boy."** Aquos managed to smile a little, a tear falling out of it's eye. **"But do not worry… There is no path set out for you… so anything you wish to accomplish will be truly yours… and yours only."** Then the dragon closed its eyes, heaving its last breath.

" **Thank… You… For being the joy in my long life."**

Duryn, holding back the tears, quickly rushed over to Aquos's side and desperately checked for the dragon's pulse.

There was no pulse.

"NO!" Duryn yelled "No no no no no! You can't leave me like this!" He moved to check for the dragon's circulation but there was nothing.

Aquos was dead.

Duryn fell to his knees, tears spilling from his eyes as he buried his head in Aquos's dead body. He had lost another family member that he loved, and once again, right in front of him. He felt as if he was so useless and couldn't do anything. He yelled out into the empty forest as loudest as he can, unintentionally casting many magic circles and nearly tearing down the forest with his Water Dragon Slayer Magic.

Duryn shook his head, slowly standing up, trying his best to steel himself back together. He just couldn't grieve forever. Aquos wouldn't want that.

Duryn tried his best to bury Aquos and gave his final prayers to his "father" that cared for him for so long. It was hard to believe that he was just gone.

With that, Duryn headed back to the cave and looked around, sighing as tears threatened to fall any second. Aquos was no longer there and it just felt different. It felt like a whole new different place. Duryn had nothing once again just like his childhood. He shook his head and tried his best to get rid of the negative thoughts and looked at the cave once more.

~ Flashback ~

 _"Hey Aquos!" Duryn shouted, smiling_

 _Aquos raised it's head from the ground tiredly, looking at Duryn **"Hmm?"**_

 _"Look at what I made for you!" Duryn said, holding up of what seemed like a tiny water manipulation of Aquos._

 _Aquos chuckled and shook it's head " **You still have so much to learn."**_

 _"Oh man!" Duryn groaned as Aquos laughed, slowly getting up "Well, are you ready for another day of training?"_

 _"OF COURSE!" Duryn happily shouted as the two happily left the cavern to do their daily training._

~ End Flashback ~

"Hey Aquos... I'm going to be l-leaving now." Duryn said as tears slowly fell down. "Thanks for everything you done for me... I-I'm not sure what I'm going to do next but I'm going to go travel the world and try to find my happiness like you always told me." With that, he turned his back towards the cave and wiped the tears off with his arm.

"HERE I COME WORLD!" Duryn shouted as loud as he can and managed to smile just a little bit not for himself, but for Aquos and his mother that he loved. With that, he jumped off the cave, landing softly on the ground and began walking.

There was an unknown journey awaiting Duryn and like Aquos had told him... Anything that he accomplished, would be Duryn's and Duryn's only.

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 **END OF CHAPTER**

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 **A/N : Well that's it for the first chapter! How do you guys think I did? Good? Hate it? Wanna rip out your eyes? Please comment and let me know! It helps me as a writer. I've already planned how the next chapter will go and how I would like for the story to end.**

 **I think the next update should be within the end of the upcoming weekend. The problem is that I get bored writing and may not publish more chapters. But I'll try my best!**

 **Anyways, if you enjoyed the story, please consider leaving a follow/favorite/review!**

 **See y'all soon!**

 **\- Shads**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: All credits of Fairy Tail goes towards Hiro Mashima. Well of course, except for my OCs.**

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 **A/N: Hey y'all! I'm back with Chapter 2! Please, I hope you all enjoy!**

 **Thanks to Primordial Owl, Bluecross03 and Svane Vulfbad for leaving reviews! Also for those who have followed and even favorited the story! It means a lot.**

* * *

 **~ Unknown Location ~**

 **~ x777 ~**

* * *

The rain battered the land relentlessly, showing that it wasn't about to end anytime soon. Thunder boomed and the wind roared loudly, making the nearby trees bend from the stress. Leaves flew around violently along with branches that once belonged to the trees. A storm was approaching but this did not stop Duryn. His hair was stuck onto his forehead, covering his vision, and he crossed his arms over his chest, shivering in the cold.

Duryn shook his head, gritting his teeth as he continued on. The path had turned into a muddy bog that would trap anyone who dared walk across it.

"Damn it…" Duryn muttered. He hated the storm so much. It reminded him of the things that he didn't want to remember. _"Aquos… Mom…"_ Duryn whimpered a little but shook his head, continuing on with his journey.

The rough wind blew once again, making him stumble back as his feet got stuck in the mud. Duryn groaned in anger, using the little strength that he had left to pull his feet out of the mud. Duryn was certainly tired and being hungry didn't help at all. He knew he had to find some sort of settlement and just in luck, his extended senses had picked up human activities nearby.

Duryn managed to smile a little, making his way down the muddy path. Duryn sighed soon after, reflecting back on how he had gotten onto this point. It had been not too long since the passing of Aquos. Aquos was the great Water Dragon, who had granted Duryn the use of his magic and taught him everything that it knew about the world. After Aquos's passing, Duryn decided on venturing the world, but with no luck, he didn't know where he was. Basically, he was lost.

Soon, a forest vulcan bursted out from the forest, looking rather hungry but furious at the same time. The large ape was soaked just like Duryn, as a smirk grew on it's face, eyes set on Duryn.

" **Human, give me food."** The vulcan demanded, it's voice booming throughout the forest. Duryn took a step back, annoyance clear in his eyes. Normally, a single vulcan wasn't an issue, however, during the storm, it was a complete different story. Additionally, in Duryn's current state, he couldn't afford to lose more energy. Duryn grit his teeth, turning around and making a run for it, running past the ape, who soon gave chase.

" _Damn it… Why now of all the times?"_ Duryn thought, panting heavily as the heavy rain and the violent winds continued to struck his face. Duryn closed his eyes, as his eyes continued to sting.

Soon, the vulcan had caught up and struck a punch in Duryn's back. Duryn yelled in pain and flew, striking into a tree. Duryn fell onto the ground, feeling blood run down from his forehead as he stared at the ape who was cheering, laughing out aloud, and clapping it's large hands. Duryn slowly stood, his legs aching from pain, but not enough to stop him permanently. He slowly walked to the front of vulcan, who was ready to give Duryn another blow.

Duryn grasped his fist tightly, eyes filled with anger. "Bastard monkey. I'll give you a lesson of mine own." Duryn said, firmly grasping onto the hilt of the blade and drawing it from the scabbard. Soon, Duryn slashed into the air and sighed, putting the blade back into its scabbard. The vulcan looked confused as Duryn, walked past by it, chanting "Water Dragon's Slash."

A sharp scythe-like blade of water cut through the Vulcan's torso, as it howled in pain. Furious, the vulcan turned around and once again, looked around confused as it did not find Duryn.

"Water Dragon's Ax Kick!"

The vulcan looked up, only to find Duryn who had his leg enveloped in a body of water , who kicked down the ape down to the ground, giving the final strike.

Duryn sighed, groaning in pain as he leaned onto a nearby tree, sitting down. He was dizzy, having used too much energy and now having injuries was wiping him out slowly. He knew he couldn't get to the settlement in the current condition he was. Duryn looked up, as the obnoxious thunder boomed in the sky and lightning tore it apart, illuminating the sky. Slowly, Duryn got back up and began limping, being that much closer to the settlement that he felt.

" _Fuck…"_ Duryn thought, stopping in place as he panted heavily in exhaustion. "I...I'm almost there… I can't give up now…" Duryn thought out aloud, very slowly continuing his way. Duryn then noticed that something warm was dripping from his hand and sighed when he saw the blood.

Duryn miserably looked up to the sky and sighed, trying his last remaining magical energy to gather the rain together and drank it. He always hated the taste of the rain but he wasn't complaining now. He had to eat something to survive. Duryn shook his head, feeling relieved at least a little, as he continued his way.

It took him about another two hours of walking to reach the small village that he had sensed before. He was immensely tired and the hunger wasn't helping at all. The storm hadn't let up either, if anything, the wind blew like blades cutting through his skin. Duryn slowly limped through the main part of the small village, looking for somewhere to get a little bit of medical treatment at.

Duryn felt his vision darken slowly as he stumbled, falling to his side, causing him to groan in pain. He looked upwards, calling for help as he saw two men quickly rushing out of the building.

"HURRY! Get him to the treatment center!" Duryn heard faintly before falling unconscious.

"What do you think happened to him?" A lady questioned.

"Probably a Vulcan or something." A man replied.

"Well, I need some rags and warm water. Please, hurry. Also, please… do not wake the master for this reason. He doesn't need to be bothered further."

"You got it." The man said, quickly rushing out of the room to get the materials that the lady asked for. The lady smiled gratefully, but then sighed, looking back at Duryn. "Poor boy…" She remarked. She had dealt with patients worse than Duryn's conditions but it just ached her heart, seeing how bad Duryn's condition was. She shook her head and let her medical knowledge take over as she began tending to Duryn's wounds. Duryn groaned in pain, even though he was still unconscious.

The lady sighed, her hands glowing in green, as her healing magic began activating, slowly healing Duryn's wounds. Soon, the man came back with the water and the rags, which she used to clean the blood and mud off Duryn.

"Thanks Goro." The lady smiled.

"No worries! Do you need anything else?" Goro questioned, as the lady shook her head.

"I'm fine for now…" The lady said. Goro nodded and left the room.

The lady slowly got up, as she finished attending to Duryn's wounds. She wiped the sweat off her forehead as she picked up the bucket of soiled water. She looked back at Duryn who was still struggling a little in pain. She smiled a little and blew out the small candle that lit the room, throwing it into the darkness.

Duryn didn't know how much time had passed when he woke up, but he felt much better. He slowly sat up, with a deadly headache, as he looked around, finding himself in a small but cozy room. The curtains were open as the bright rays of sunshine shone through the small window. Duryn groaned as he looked down, finding himself wrapped in multiple bandages. His current shirt and pants were torn apart.

"You're awake!" A loud voice echoed throughout the room, catching Duryn's attention immediately. Goro smiled "I was wondering when you would finally wake up."

"Uh... Where am I?" Duryn asked, now facing Goro.

"Well, you're at the Rune Heart guild!" Goro laughed "I'm glad you woke up, I thought I'd have to prepare a funeral or something. You were asleep for almost three days!"

"Three days?" Duryn questioned in shock.

"Yuppity Yup! I'll be right back. Asuna would love to hear about this!" Goro yelled, running out the room. Duryn sighed, messing with his messy spiky hair.

"Three days huh…Man, I was stoked to go see that festival." Duryn muttered. He had read on a newspaper that a huge festival was going on but he missed it.

"You're up." A feminine voice stated as Duryn looked up. He saw a old lady, wearing a beautiful kimono, standing by the door. She had short, gray hair as she pushed up her falling glasses.

"Uh… Hello." Duryn said quietly.

"Hello, my dearie." She smiled. "You were starting to worry me, but I'm glad that you're awake now."

"Uh… T-Thanks for healing me. I thought I was a dead man." Duryn sheepishly chuckled.

"Don't worry about it, my dear. It took some magic to heal you, but I'm glad you're fine. Oh, excuse me, I did not introduce myself… I am Asuna." Asuna smiled, pushing up her glasses once again.

Duryn smiled "I am Duryn." He sighed uncomfortably at the bandages constricting his movements.

"You can probably take those off. You heal faster than any other individual." Asuna said, pointing at Duryn's bandages. Duryn gratefully smiled, starting to take off the bandages, finally being free of all the uncomfortable wrapping. He tried clenching his fists and moving his arms, smiling a bit.

"I can move again." Duryn said with a smile.

Asuna chuckled lightly as she handed Duryn a bundle of folded clothes "Your clothes were all torn apart and in a terrible condition, so I had Goro get some new clothes for you. I hope you like it."

Duryn blinked as he received the clothes. He didn't know what to say but he gratefully smiled "Thank you very much…"

Asuna smiled, nodding "Well… I'll let you change. I will be back in a few." Asuna said, before exiting the room.

Duryn sighed. He felt extremely grateful to Asuna and Goro for helping him in out in his trouble. He didn't have any money to pay for their services. He shook his head, quickly beginning to change to the new attire.

Once he finished dressing, he took a look at himself in the mirror. He was now wearing what consisted of a gray shirt underneath a black leather jacket, along with black pants. He also had on some sort of combat shoes that he found very comfortable in.

"You look very handsome, my dear." Asuna smiled, catching Duryn's attraction once again.

"Thank you…These fit me perfectly." Duryn lightly blushed in embarrassment, chuckling.

"I'm glad you like them. We should go tell Master Rovis that you're awake. He's been waiting to talk to you." Asuna said. Duryn nodded, and followed her out of the room. Aquos had told him about guilds so he knew what a master was. It was the head person in the charge of the guild. It would also have been extremely rude to decline, considering that he was under their care for three days. Soon, the group of Asuna, Goro and Duryn entered a small hut, where it was dead quiet. At the middle of the hut, an old man sat in the middle, who appeared to be in meditation.

"Ah you're awake. You had us very worried, especially Asuna." The old man said, opening his eyes slowly.

"I would like to apologize for greatly worrying everyone. I would also like to thank everyone. Asuna is a very talented healing mage. If it wasn't for her, I would have certainly died." Duryn said. The old man followed with a chuckle.

"Do not worry about it young one. Any kind human being wouldn't have left you to die out on the streets. I am glad to see that you're fine. You must be hungry." Rovis said. Duryn now just had noticed that how hungry he was, as his stomach growled in hunger. Rovis chuckled whole heartedly, looking at Goro "Goro, would you please go get some meal for this young man?"

"Aye!" Goro happily chanted, running out of the hut to go prepare some food.

"Thanks for your offer… but some water would be great." Duryn said. Rovis raised an eyebrow as Asuna stood up "I'll go get some for you." She said as she exited the hut to go get some water.

"I do not smell any human scent from you. Where do you hail from?" Rovis asked, making Duryn lightly chuckle.

"I was raised by a dragon for most of my life. I wouldn't be surprised if I had absolutely no human scent left."

"You were raised by a dragon? Interesting…" Rovis said, stroking his beard. Duryn raised an eyebrow. When he usually told people that he was raised by a dragon, people would go in panic mode and wouldn't know what to do. However, Rovis looked so calm.

Soon, Asuna walked in with a bucket of water, which made Duryn smile. Duryn took the bucket from her hands, holding it close and took a deep breath, sucking in all the water. It was gone in a second, sighing, Duryn placed the bucket on the ground.

"That felt great. Thanks a lot." Duryn smiled as Asuna looked at him, eyes widened.

"That was the fastest I ever seen someone drink water…" Asuna chuckled, holding the bucket.

Duryn smiled, nodding "I am the Water Dragon Slayer. It would be kinda disappointing if I drank water the pace of a human."

Rovis laughed and shook his head "I have a question. Where is your dragon? Why did you venture out here into this village by yourself?"

Duryn's mood quickly changed from happy to sad. He sighed, managing to smile a little bit, remembering all the good times that he had spent with Aquos. "He passed away. Ever since then, I been adventuring the world trying to find the true meaning of happiness but I haven't found it yet."

"I'm sorry about that." Rovis said, frowning. Soon, Goro walked in with fish soup for all four of them.

Duryn gratefully took the soup and wasted no time, devouring it.

Soon after, Duryn got up "Thanks for everything. But I should head back to my journey now."

"No way." Asuna got up and looked at Duryn "You haven't fully healed yet. You still need some more time to recover."

"Hey master, do you think I can go to the mountains and get some herbs?" Goro asked, breaking the conversation between Duryn and Asuna.

"Now Goro, I know you're a capable mage yourself but I don't think I can let you go by yourself. The mountains are very dangerous." Rovis said sternly.

"Oh come on master… how am I supposed to get better if I don't leave town? And you know that we don't have any other members other than us three." Goro complained, stressing.

"I'm sorry but I agree with the master." Asuka added in "The mountains are a very dangerous place. You know that the Wyverns live there and could easily harm you. There would be no one to come rescue you."

"Come on… we're talking about a brand new medication here! I'll be okay, can't you just let me go please?" Goro pleaded.

"Absolutely not. We do not want to risk losing you, Goro. You are a valuable member." Rovis said firmly.

"How about I go with him?" Duryn jumped into the conversation as Rovis raised an eyebrow. "I mean this would benefit me too. I've never encountered a wyvern before."

"I'm sorry to say this, but… we just interacted with you. How can we know that you won't take advantage and harm Goro?" Asuna questioned.

"I would never do that. That would be going against all that I stand for." Duryn said, rather angrily.

"I know! You can join our guild, that way, it would be the first official mission of the guild!" Goro said.

"Not a bad idea. I'd love to have you in our guild." Rovis said with a smile.

"I… I don't know." Duryn said, looking down at the ground. He hadn't expected to join a guild but he did owe his life to them for saving him.

"Oh please? We saved your life, so how about you join the guild?" Goro asked.

Asuna looked at Duryn, waiting for his answer.

Duryn heaved a heavy sigh and looked back up, looking at Goro, Rovis and Asuna. "Well… if you put it that way… I guess I'm in." Duryn said, a small smile forming on his lips.

"YAY!" Goro happily exclaimed, enveloping Duryn in a bear hug.

"G..Gah… Goro… Can't breathe…" Duryn said as Goro laughed, freeing Duryn from his bear hug. "Thank you! You have no idea how much this means to our guild!"

"N-No problem… I do owe it to you guys after all." Duryn smiled, a light blush forming on his cheeks.

"Where would you like your guild stamp Duryn?" Rovis asked, showing Duryn the magic stamper. Duryn thought about it for a second, and took off his leather jacket, rolling his left sleeve up. He pointed at the left shoulder.

"Right there, in teal." Duryn said. Rovis nodded, stamping Duryn's left shoulder and it glowed for a second. When he removed the stamper, the Rune Heart mark was on his skin. It was a heart, with a bow tie that wrapped around it.

"There we go." Duryn smiled, putting his leather jacket back on. "Ready to go." Duryn said with a smile.

"Perfect! Now that Duryn's a part of the Rune Heart, can we go to the mountains? I really want to research this herb!" Goro happily asked.

"Don't worry… I'll make sure that Goro returns without a wound." Duryn smiled.

Rovis struck a thinking pose, as he considered the request. Then he sighed, giving a small, hearty chuckle, giving a nod of approval.

"You two can go, but be very careful. Asuna wasn't kidding when she was talking about those Wyverns. They are very dangerous creatures." Rovis said as Asuna nodded in the background.

"We'll tread with the most utmost care. After all, I should be able to take them down, or I shouldn't be called a dragon slayer." Duryn said jokingly, as the group laughed.

"Please be careful and return safely." Asuna said as Duryn nodded.

"Well I'm ready to go whenever you are Goro." Duryn said, looking at Goro.

"Alright then, I'm going to go pack up some equipment! I'll meet you outside." Goro said and ran out of the hut to go begin packing his needed equipment to harvest the herbs.

"Okay." Duryn chuckled then looked back "Well… I'll be right back. Don't worry about us too much." He said to Asuna and Rovis who nodded, smiling at Duryn.

"Be careful up there and take good care of Goro." Rovis said.

Duryn nodded "I won't let anything touch him." He then headed out of the hut, smiling as he looked at the sky.

" _Hey Aquos… I joined a guild. I'm pretty excited."_ Duryn thought and shook his head. He really wasn't expecting to join a guild during his travel, but maybe it was time to settle down for now and help out the small guild. Whatever the case was, it was a start to a new adventure, and he couldn't wait for it.

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 **END OF CHAPTER**

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 **A/N: That's it for the Second Chapter! I hope you readers enjoy!**

 **If you enjoyed the story, please consider leaving a review, a follow or even a favorite!**

 **The one who resides with the Shadows.**

 **\- Shads.**


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